UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS
B.Sc. DEGREE COURSE IN GEOPHYSICS
SEMESTER SYSTEM WITH CREDITS
(Effective from the Academic Year 2003-2004)

SYLLABUS

Semester VI - Application Oriented Subject IV - Geodynamics

Duration: 3 hrs
Maximum Marks: 100
Credits: 4

Unit I

Isostasy - The discovery of Isostasy - models of Isostasy - The Air Heiskanen Model The Pratt - Hayfords model - Vening Meinesz elastic model - lsotstatic compensation and vertical crustal movements - Isostasy grvity anomalies.

Unit II

Rheology - Brittle and ductile deformation - Viscous flow in the liquids - Flow in solids Viscoelastic model - Creep - Crystal defects - Creep mechanisms in the earth - discussion creep.

Unit III

Rigidity of the lithosphere - Lithospheric flexure caused by oceanic islands - Lithospheric flexure at a subduction zone - Thickness of the lithosphere - mantle viscosity - Viscosity of the upper mantle - viscosity of the lower mantle.

Unit IV

Plate Dynamics - mantle convection - thermal convection - Convection at Highrayleigh numbers - Models of mantle convection - Mantle plumes - Hot spots.

Unit V

Plate motion on the surface of a sphere - Euler poles of rotation - absolute plate motions - Forces acting on lithospheric plates.

Books Recommended

1. Fundamentals of Geophysics by William Lowrie, Cambridge University Press, 1997

2. Understanding the Earth by Brown, G.C., Hawkesworth, C.J and Wilson R.C.L. Cambridge University Press, 1992

3. Plate Tectonics by Cox, A. and Bart R.B Blackwell Scientific Publishers, Oxford, 1986

4. Global Tectonics by Kearey P and Vine F.J Blackwell Scientific Publishers, 1990

5. The Interior of the Earth by Boil, M.H.P, Edward Arnold, London 1982

6. Geodynamics: Applications of Continuum Physics to Geoplogical Problems by Turciotte, D.K and Schuber G, John Wiley Sons, New York 1982.